So are you leaving the siding as is? When you say just the brick, do you mean some sort of paint application for the brick? Not sure what type of updating you are considering…

You could paint the brick to match your siding, and remove the too small shutters, but it's not bad as it is. I'd start with the landscaping and the walkway before I changed the house itself.

Remove the shutters. Lightly whitewash the brick. And then landscape as soon as you can it will make a HUGE difference. I’d also do something with the doors when you can.

I would buy paint that is made for brick, and color match it to your siding and paint the bottom half the same color as the siding. Its a bit too busy as it is, with the roof and the brick. Once that is done, the door needs to be repainted a nice brighter color, that is one of your favorites. I dont mind the shutters, but, I do think they are the wrong color for the house. They should be closer to the color of the roof. There is just too much going on there. I do agree, you need landscaping, but, I also very well understand, waiting until next year.

I would not paint the brick. Paint the foundation the darker color of the brick. New landscaping will hide most of the brick. Paint garage door the color of the siding. Remove the shutters. Paint the front door a shade of blue that you love.

I think you may be focusing on the wrong thing. Honestly, landscape will cover most of the brick. I think the problem is the shade of brown on the shutters and garage door as well as correcting the landscape.